Is the bushing in the 1st photo rusting through? Can it be replaced or do you think the mounting is too far gone? Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Gotta scrub it all clean before you can decide how bad it is or not... Can't tell you much with so much debris on everything...
Clean flaking rust off to get a better idea. Find a hand held sandblaster, probably Amazon.co.uk and clean off the flaking rust. Similar to attached pics. My calipers were similar with flaking rust, used my hand blaster and cleaned up quite nicely, exactly how they remanufacture caliper brackets. You'll be surprised how that little blaster blows off the rust, don't need a large compressor. Give it short bursts, don't need to hold the trigger continuously. Best $25 I've ever spent, also make sure to hold it upright.
Hopefully you're protecting your lungs if you're really using sand and not some other abrasive that safer to use.
Using crushed glass, quite sure Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply or Princess Auto in Canada not selling blasting sand anymore. This is the blast media I use Green Grit crushed glass. Quite surprised to pay $15 in Canada for 50lb glass grit, Tractor Supply and Harbor Fright both over $50 for 50lb. 50 lb Greengrit Crushed Glass Blasting Abrasive (princessauto.com) You only need to look at my old rotors to see the type of rust on my caliper brackets. Next to my blaster. $21 at Harbor Freight for the blaster. 21 Oz. Hopper Gravity Feed Spot Blaster Gun (harborfreight.com)
Sand or glass, it's still silica- I hope that you're using a good respirator (not just a dust mask). Silica dust can do massive long term damage to your lungs. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
One that interests us greatly is the difference between Crystalline Silica (also known as “free silica”) and Amorphous Silica. Unfortunately, over time people have confused crystalline silica with amorphous silica, however, one is dangerous and the other is not. Glass Dust - A Quick Guide (krysteline.com)
It's always a good idea to do a quick fact check of claims like this before you hit "post reply." specifically: "Sand blasting is much more dangerous to workers than typical glass bead blasting. The after-product of sand blasting is called silica dust and can cause silicosis in workers after prolonged inhalation. Because of this, sand blasting is heavily regulated. Conversely, glass bead blasting is much safer because the beads do not produce a silica dust and are lead free." https://homesteady.com/12444388/glass-beads-vs-sand-blasting
